A Day in the Library
by Kanae Valentine
Summary: Like clockwork, he always appears...


**This is the second short FFVII story that I must dedicate to someone with whom I RP. **

**Let me preface by saying that I have never ever ever been a fan of Reeve Tuesti. In fact, he was probably my least favorite character ever invented. I quite nearly hated him because I thought he never did anything himself, that he was rather spineless, et cetera.**

**Then someone in my RP group on Twitter made a Reeve account and, in the course of roughly two weeks, my opinion about Reeve completely changed, and he is now one of my absolute favorite characters. That kind of opinion change with me is nigh unheard of as I am usually very stubbornly set in my opinions.**

**For this reason, I am dedicating this story to that person. Best Reeve RPer round and a fantastic person in general.**

**~Kanae~**

* * *

**A Day in the Library**

When she looks at the clock, she knows it will not be much longer until he enters through the monolithic doors of the library. It is not because she _intends_ to keep track of him, only that he is almost religious about when he appears in the library.

She doesn't know his name, but he always comes to the library at exactly noon, on the fifth day of every week, at least he has been for several months now. It is almost clockwork.

Just as she hears the bells on the belltower strike noon, the doors open; he enters (exactly on time) and walks straight back to the section involving robotics and mechanics. The section is within clear view of the front desk and, as usual, she soon finds herself watching him rather than checking in books.

He always sets his satchel, and whatever else he is carrying with him, down at the same table, removes several books from the shelves, and then takes a seat. From then until the time he leaves, he is lost to the world, attention entirely on what he is reading.

And often, her attention remains on him.

Out of the (admittedly) few patrons of the library, he is the one who most intrigues her, by far. He always seems so calm, so focused. Sometimes, she catches his lips moving as if he mumbles something to himself, his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

He would always remain like this until at last he put away the books, stood, gathered his belongings, and left the library.

She has always wanted to say something to him, just to obtain some idea of the person who so regularly ventures into the library. What does he sound like? What is _he_ like?

She never can work up the nerve, however. Though he does not seem to act like it, she knows (almost instinctively) that he is someone important. He may seemlessly blend into the background of the library to most people, but she can see an air of dignity and knowledge about him. Clearly he is much too important and (if she admits that she thinks it) _handsome_ to care anything of speaking to a little mousy, Plain Jane girl like her.

And so she simply contents herself with secretly (there's not _really_ anything secretive about it) watching him from afar.

But something about today...

The mysterious man breaks from his normal routine by closing the book he had been reading. He sits for quite some time with a bemused expression on his face before he stands.

She does not realize that he is searching for someone until it is too late and he makes eye contact with her from across the room. With a slight smile, he leaves his things at the table and walks toward her, book that he had been reading in hand. Only partially hoping that he wasn't _really_ coming to speak to her, she looks down, nervously fidgetting with the book stamps.

"Excuse me, Miss?" says a rich baritone voice that was almost musical.

She slowly looks up to where he stands on the opposite side of the circulation desk.

For a moment, she only stares before regaining her wits.

"Y-y-yes?"

If he hears her stammer, he kindly ignores it and smiles.

"I was wondering if this library carries the second volume that continues where this book ends," he states, holding the book out to her.

This time, without hesitation, she reacts, taking the proffered book and then turning her attention to the task of typing the book information into the library database. The answer returns not long after she presses the enter key and she frowns before looking to him again.

"N-no. I'm s-s-sorry... We d-don't..."

He nods once. Though clearly disappointed, he smiles anyway as she returns the book to him.

"Well thank you very much for looking all the same."

Surprised (that is certainly not the typical response of patrons who find the library does not have a book) she blinks behind her glasses at him, and it takes her several seconds to reply.

"Y-you're welcome," she responds with a bright smile.

With that, the man nods and returns to his table.

Not ten minutes later, he leaves, but when he returns to the library the next week, the second volume is there...


End file.
